I was 12 at the time so I didn't understand much either. I heard that it might be an issue but it was theoretical. I only read it somewhere on the internet (my family was one of the few who had internet at the time). It wasn't mentioned in the mainstream media here as far as I can remember or if it was, there definitely weren't instructions to prep or anything like that. No one I knew at the time took it very seriously. But I was just a child at the time.
I thought if something happened it would be exciting, I didn't understand the potential risks.